The book is life changing and I recommend you read go beyond this article and read it in its entirety when you have the time BUT this post will give you about 95% of the core information from the book.

After reading/watching (and subscribing to my channel on YouTube), IMMEDIATELY craft out your own miracle morning. Literally, with a pen and paper. Write it down.

Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect right away, you’ll refine it as you go.

But before you do that, let me explain what the Miracle Morning is all about, what to consider including and some tips on making sure you actually stick with it long enough to make it a lifelong habit that you actually look forward to like me!

The Miracle Morning Concept

The concept of the miracle morning is simple...

A miracle morning routine is a regimen of self-developmental tasks that you perform every morning first thing upon waking. It can range in duration but the typical time is between 30 mins and 1 hour.

A quality miracle morning routine can and should result in...

A better body

More mental clarity

Better peace of mind

Mastery of skills (of your choosing)

Improved productivity throughout the rest of your day

More self esteem and confidence

Increased earnings

Seriously. This isn’t BS, it’s nearly guaranteed IF you commit to not just doing it consistently but also doing it with 100% focus and effort.

A miracle morning routine breaks the morning up into short but laser focused tasks and we cross them off in a ritualistic order as we complete them,

I’ll explain some of the different types of tasks we will do but first, let me lay down the rules.

The Rules of the Miracle Morning

In order to get the most out of the miracle morning (and there is a lot to get from it) you need to abide by the following rules.

Please note that I do deviate just a little bit from the miracle morning process laid out by Hal Elrod in his book, but just barely.

Rule #1 Complete Your Routine at Least 5 Days a Week.

7 days is ideal but I understand that many people do want to have the flexibility to stay out late on the weekends. I think thats perfectly normal and healthy and the last thing I'd want to do is recommend you stay up until 1 AM and then still try to wake up at 5AM or 6AM and not get enough rest (which is another key point I'll get to shortly).

To create good habits, we need to avoid breaking the routine as much as possible.

Even on the weekends, if you do sleep in a bit, wake up and complete your miracle morning like you would Monday through Friday. You'll just start it when you wake instead of at the usual set time.

The power of the miracle morning lies in consistency. Without it, you’ll fall out of the habit. Time and the opportunity for growth will pass you by without you even realizing it.

Rule #2 Wake up at the Same Time each Day but ALWAYS Get at Least 6 Hours of Sleep

Sleep deprivation has no part in the miracle morning process. It loses its power if it means sleep deprivation that will leave you without energy later in the day.

Considering this, getting to bed on time is just as important as (and often more difficult than) waking up on time.

"Sleep deprivation has no part in the miracle morning process"

The snooze button to me was easier to ignore than the desire to watch Netflix or stay awake browsing the internet at night.

note:"Morning" IS RELATIVE

Depending on your schedule, your miracle morning might actually be at night. If you work a night shift for instance and you normally wake up at 10 PM to get to work by 11 PM, you could wake up an hour earlier at 9 PM to do your routine. Don't let your schedule keep you from creating a routine! Although there is something powerful about the early morning hours, the real power lies in the routine itself, not the time of day.

Which brings me to rule #3.

Rule #3 F*ck the Snooze Button and Hit the Floor the Second You Hear Your Alarm Ring

The option of hitting the snooze button needs to be completely removed from your mind.

When your alarm goes off, you wake up. Period.

This can be extremely difficult at first but as is the case when forming any new habit, it gets easier.

Fight through it and know that waking up on time is going to eventually unlock the life of your dreams.

There is no productivity hack that outperforms the power of a ritualistic morning routine so remember WHY you're waking up early. After a few days, you'll most likely become EXCITED about your routine starting.

Seriously, it is a commonality among committed MM followers.

Rule #4 Give the Activities TOTAL Focus and Avoid ALL Other Distractions

Your morning routine should be devoid of ANYTHING but the tasks you have written down.

Things to avoid in your routine include things that open up a Pandora’s box of distractions like...

Checking emails

Reading texts/messages

Scrolling social media

Making or receiving phone calls

Reading the news

My iPhone has a role in my routine BUT I don’t let it distract me. You may want to get it as far out of site as possible if you can't resist it's siren's call.

I’ll explain how I use my phone in a minute but if your routine doesn’t include it, just turn it off or on airplane mode while you complete your routine.

Rule #5 Make Routine at Least 30 Mins Long

I find 1 hour and 15 mins to be the ideal length and there is no harm in going longer than this if you like.

Anything less than 30 mins doesn't leave you with much time to really check both the mind and body boxes.

Rule #6 Your Routine Is Just As Important as All Other Work

This is bold, but true.

Commit to NEVER jumping into work before your routine. The routine IS work and by doing it, you’ll get more out of everything that you do.

You can let yourself ignore the long to do list and deadlines. 1 Hour is not long enough to make a dent on any deadlines. If it is, you need to prioritize and plan you life better.

Rule #7 Plan Every Minute of Your Routine But Improve and Modify It Liberally

You should have no empty time planned on your routine.

If you want short breaks between tasks, plan them in. The key is to plan the routine so you know with certainty if you completed your routine completely and on time.

I don't typically take breaks between tasks during my morning routine. This approach doesn't necessarily work over the entirety of a day but for just over an hour, it is totally fine to skip breaks.

My Morning Routine

Your routine should be catered to your needs but here is what mine looks like to give you a soft framework.

Note: I typically get to bed around 10 PM EST which gives me a full 7 hours of sleep.

Nate's Miracle Morning Routine

5AM Wake Up

I admit, I have only recently begun the 5 AM routine. Previously I was waking up at 7 AM but found the extra 2 hours of silence before my kids wake up to be a real game changer and worth going to bed an hour earlier.

5:00AM- 5:05AM Cold Water to Face + Personal Hygiene

​I splash cold water on my face, pee, brush my teeth, wash my face, and do all the other basic hygiene necessities before I head downstairs.

I like a little caffeine boost but find the ice water is just as refreshing and invigorating. If I choose coffee over the 5 hour energy, I have it nearby while I complete the other tasks of my routine and sip it casually.

5:07AM - 5:15AM Read Morning Mindfulness Prompts

I read a list of "prompts" that remind me of the person I want to be each day. I don't do "positive affirmations" like many other miracle morning followers, but this is a close alternative. You can download my list of mindfulness prompts here.

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5:16AM -5:27AM 10 Min Meditation

It's a shame meditation can't seem to shake the misconception that it is a religious or spiritual practice. Sure, it can be, but the meditation that I (and many of my productivity chasing peers) do is about regaining control of our minds. It has a number of amazing effects when done properly. I have two iOS apps that I use for meditation They are Calm and Headspace. They both have free and paid features. The app isn't as important as the process itself. I'll link to them and an additional book I recommend on mindfulness and meditation in the resources at the end of this post as well.

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5:28AM- 5:39AM Stretching + Core Exercise

I use an iOS app called Sworkit for my routines. I start with a 5 minute full body stretch and then complete a 5 minute "core" workout. I workout at the gym 4x-5x per week, so on my off days I may add an extra 5 minutes of core work. I don't workout my abs in the gym anymore. It seems inefficient when I can just do it at home in the morning. Also, I find myself skipping them if I try to do them at the end of a hard workout.

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5:40AM- 5:55AM Music Practice

​I am an avid piano and guitar player. I spend 15 minutes each morning practicing a new song, learning a new method of some kind or just jamming on my own. I have a pair of headphones that allow me to play as loudly as I want without waking up my wife and kids. Currently, I can't play my guitars because they're too loud, but in the near future, when we inevitably move and I get a new office space, I'm hoping to incorporate guitar back into my morning routine as well

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5:56AM- 6:11AM Business Related Reading

I make sure to dedicate 15 minutes to reading something non-fiction. This might be a book or just skimming through my Feedly RSS feed. The stuff I read should

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6:12AM-6:20AM Daily Planning

Although I typically know what the day's tasks are the night before, I always review the tasks of the day before I start working on anything. I ask myself "what is the most important thing I need to do today?" Then, I make sure that I do that thing first, until it's complete.

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6:20AM- Start Working on Top Priority

6:20 is when the workday actually starts. I try to start with 45 minutes of totally undistracted work on my top task. Then, I'll take a short break (10-15 mins) and then start on the next task or continue working on the first.

Miracle Morning Task Ideas

The tasks that we complete in the miracle morning have something in common. They’re the things that we’d most likely forget to do without dedicated planning.

Most people don’t find time to meditate or read once their days have started.

Keep in mind, the miracle morning Concept is the same idea as the air mask rule on airplanes that are rapidly descending. You put your mask on first.

Your routine should consist of things that put your mind and body first, before others. Putting yourself first and allowing everything else to wait isn’t selfish either. By improving yourself, you’ll be more effective and valuable to others.

Here are some of the Miracle morning tasks you might add to your routine.

Meditation

Writing/Journaling

Positive affirmations

Reading

Weight lifting

Running/Jogging/Walking

Making your bed

Prepare/Eat/Drink a Healthy Breakfast

Learn something new (Piano, Spanish, etc)

Can you think of something I missed? Feel free to add it to your routine as long as it improves you in some way!

Additional Miracle Morning Tips

Here are some tips that will make sure you create the miracle morning habit without any slip ups.

#1 Prepare the Night Before

The miracle morning actually starts the night before.

If you don't have a nightly routine that insures your in bed on time and ready to get your full 6-8 hours of sleep, you're destined to fail.

I highly recommend that you lay out your clothes the night before. Also, avoid screens (with the exception perhaps of a low lit Kindle for reading before bed) an hour before bed time.

Get mentally prepared to wake up in the morning. Remind yourself, "there is no way that I won't do my routine tomorrow. I will want to hit the snooze button but I know that I will regret it for the rest of the day if I do, so I won't."

#2 Put the Alarm Clock Away From the Bed

You should have to get out of bed to hit your alarm. It is much easier to snooze when your alarm or phone is within slapping distance.

You know the snooze slap that ends up turning your attempt at a productive early morning into a foggy hour of painful mini wake ups?

One thing that I do is set two alarms on two different devices. That way, if something happened to one (battery died, I accidentally silenced it, etc) the other one should still go off. I set one of them (my iPhone) to 5AM and the other (my Amazon Show) to 5:05AM. If the 5AM works, I just cancel the 5:05AM so I don't wake up my wife.

You really don't want to break your routine because of an accident. It's very deflating and is one of the only ways I can picture myself ever missing my scheduled wake up time.

Recommended Apps

HeadSpace (iOS and Android) - This is my favorite guided meditation app, although I alternate periodically to keep things fresh.

Calm (iOS and Android) - This is my second favorite guided meditation app.

Sworkit (iOS and Android) - This is the program I use for my short at home workouts and stretches in the morning. Everything can be done without equipment and in a very small space. I have a separate routine for my actual gym workouts, but this is a great app for home and travel.

Day One Journal (iOS and Android) - If you choose to incorporate journaling into your routine, this is a great app for it.

Nate McCallister

Nate is the founder and main contributor of EntreResource.com. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur who spends his time building businesses and raising his two kids Sawyer and Brooks with his beautiful wife Emily. His main interests include copywriting, economics and piano.